


Sidelines

by miss_liding



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Domestic Bickering, M/M, Magical Girl/Superhero AU, bed sharing, musician au, rakuzan!nijimura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-05-15 09:28:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5780554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_liding/pseuds/miss_liding
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Ficlet dump for random shippy bits.)</p><p>1. Mayuzumi is a blanket bandit. Nijimura refuses to take this lying down. (nijimayu)<br/>2. Akashi would like Mayuzumi to accompany him, in the musical sense. (mayuaka)<br/>3. Mayuzumi leads a double life and both of them suck. (mayuaka)<br/>4. Nijimura is perfectly capable of enduring his crush on Mayuzumi, no thanks to Akashi. (nijimayu)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the cold war (nijimayu)

 

 "It's getting colder now," Nijimura says. He unbuttons his shirt, shrugs it off and rummages for something else to use as a pajama top.  
  
"So?" says Mayuzumi, not looking up. He's already in bed, nose buried in a light novel.  
  
Nijimura sighs to himself. It's a sad, sad day when your own boyfriend doesn't ogle you, even when you change right in front of him. He bends over, checks the clothes pile on the floor.  
  
" _So_ you should stop hogging the blankets at night, geez." Nijimura stands up and turns suddenly, catching Mayuzumi's gaze flickering away from where his butt just was. "Ha, caught you."  
  
"How childish are you, seriously," says Mayuzumi. "I can check out your butt whenever I want." His blasé attitude is ruined by the slight flush in his cheeks, which Nijimura enjoys for two briefseconds before Mayuzumi chucks a t-shirt at his face.  
  
"Sure, you prude." Nijimura pulls it on.  
  
Mayuzumi leers. "Your dick would disagree with that statement."  
  
"My dick's gonna get frostbite and fall off if you don't stop hogging the blankets. Shove over."  
  
Mayuzumi obligingly moves over. Nijimura waits for Mayuzumi to put down his book before flicking off the lights and settling under the covers.  
  
"The ghost of my dick will haunt you if it dies," Nijimura murmurs into the nape of Mayuzumi's neck.  
  
Mayuzumi yawns. "You're shit at pillow talk."  
  
Nijimura mumbles something that might be a retort, might be a yawn. Their bed smells like home, and Mayuzumi's hip is warm underneath his hand. He drifts off to sleep.

 

Nijimura wakes with a sneeze. It takes him less than a second to realise why. Once again, Mayuzumi is curled up in a blanket ball on his side of the bed, leaving only a corner for Nijimura. If Nijimura wasn't so damn cold, he'd almost be impressed at the thoroughness of Mayuzumi's entanglement; it's like he got up in the middle of the night, made himself into a blanket dumpling, and lay back down, thoughtlessly leaving Nijimura to freeze to death.  
  
He tries covering himself with the corner and fails. It's not nearly enough for his almost-six-foot frame.  
  
Next to him, Mayuzumi snores once. That decides it for Nijimura. He grabs the corner firmly and tugs, but Mayuzumi is heavy and the blankets are impossibly tangled. Nijimura grits his teeth and applies a solid, full-strength yank.  
  
Still no blanket, and even though it was enough to give Mayuzumi a considerable rock, his boyfriend doesn't give any signs of waking.  
  
"Oi," Nijimura whispers. "Unroll yourself. I know you're awake." He listens intently. _That_ snore was definitely too well-timed to be real. "Hey, asshole!" But the cocooned bastard continues to fake-sleep on.  
  
It's time to effect drastic measures. Nijimura worms one frozen leg into the blanket bundle and presses his cold foot to Mayuzumi's leg at the same time he holds his cold hands to Mayuzumi's face.  
  
Mayuzumi thrashes violently, nailing Nijimura in the shin. At least the blankets are freer now, and his leg is so cold it doesn't even need an ice pack.  
  
"Fuck _off_ ," grumbles Mayuzumi, though his face is buried in the pillow so it comes out more like "fggghff".  
  
In the dark, Nijimura feels the blankets receding away like the tide as Mayuzumi begins to curl up again. With the desperate strength of a drowning man, he latches onto as much blanket as he can. Still, Mayuzumi reels him in with it. How the heck did he get so strong?  
  
He has one final option. Nijimura burrows through the blankets and latches onto Mayuzumi, tangling their limbs together so Mayuzumi is crushed beneath him in a way that's half-aggressive, half-sexual and completely uncomfortable. Mayuzumi himself doesn't stir, just lets out a grunt that could be a snore, and his breathing settles back into that of someone in deep sleep.  
  
Nijimura closes his eyes. Mayuzumi's elbow is pressed right into his gut. He's going to have cricks everywhere tomorrow. Tomorrow, when Mayuzumi has an early start. The last functional dregs of his consciousness tries to figure out why this seems important. However, it only has enough time to radiate a faint sense of bafflement before it, too, shuts down for the night once again.

  
  
Nijimura gets his answer the next morning when he wakes upon sudden impact with the mattress.  
  
"Hey," Nijimura growls, throat husky from sleep. "Don't do that."  
  
Nijimura hears a faint rustle of clothing. "Maybe don't go all squid on me, then," Mayuzumi snaps.  
  
"Then don't steal the damn blankets in the first place."  
  
Mayuzumi clicks his tongue and stomps out of their bedroom, though he falters mid-stride to yawn again. His angry footsteps sound softer and less steady than they usually are.  
  
Nijimura rolls over and looks at the digital clock. 5:50 am. Guilt settles heavily in his bones as he lies awake, staring at the ceiling for the next hour or so before falling into a restless slumber.

~

  
  
Nijimura is cleaning up his brunch in the kitchen when Mayuzumi returns home for lunch. They don't exchange any words aside from the barest of pleasantries, but when Mayuzumi puts his dirty dishes on the bench, Nijimura puts them with his own dishes in the soapy water and leans over to kiss Mayuzumi, briefly and chastely. He doesn't even make a fuss about tasting Mayuzumi's kusaya breath like he usually does.  
  
Mayuzumi lingers in the kiss, though his words are still clipped when he farewells Nijimura and leaves. A little less clipped though, possibly. Nijimura hopes.

~

  
  
Their front door opens. "I'm home," Mayuzumi calls.  
  
"Welcome back." Nijimura straightens up from his couch-slouch. He has every intention of apologising to Mayuzumi, but Mayuzumi beats him to it.  
  
"Merry early fucking Christmas," Mayuzumi says as he comes into the lounge. He drops a large, full plastic bag on the coffee table in front of Nijimura. It makes a soft thumping noise as it lands. Nijimura wonders what is inside; Mayuzumi is still in his work clothes and he's late enough to have stopped somewhere to run an errand before coming back home. "Well? Open it."  
  
Nijimura does. It's… "A duvet?" Nijimura says to thin air. Mayuzumi has already left their lounge.

"Anything to stop you smothering me tonight," Mayuzumi yells from the kitchen.

The side of the packaging indicates it's the largest size the brand has to sell. Nijimura begins to smile. "I always knew there was some heart buried under all your tsun," he calls back.

"You better shut up, or the only warmth you're going to get from that is me burning it."

"It's buried pretty shallow."

"I'm getting the fucking matches."

 

 

 

 

**mayuniji: FIGHTING OVER BLANKETS IN BED**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, comments & kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> if you have prompts for ships I've written that you'd like to chuck at my muse to see if it sticks, please flick me an ask on tumblr @conquerse ^u^


	2. playing up (mayuaka)

A knock on the door of the music room punctuates Mayuzumi's latest attempt at transcribing the anime OP currently stuck in his head. The faltering chords come to a sudden stop as he lifts his hands off the keys.

"Yeah, come in." Mayuzumi projects his voice towards the door and starts packing up. Not being a music student, he's technically not supposed to be in here, but they can't keep track of everyone, and Hayama said he wouldn't spill. Asking Hayama to keep his trap shut was pretty well close to asking for a miracle, though.

He looks towards the door as it opens. "I'm done, you can use the room n-"

Akashi Seijuurou, or a really, really good imitation of him, is standing in the doorway. He has his violin case in one hand and sheet music in the other.

The rest of Mayuzumi's sentence diminishes into silence.

"Hello, Mayuzumi-san," the Akashi Seijuurou impersonator says. "I have something to ask of you."

Mayuzumi blinks hard and rubs his eyes. "You don't even go here," he blurts.

Akashi Seijuurou is a prodigy. A virtuoso making waves in the music world. Orchestras of no little renown proudly bear his full name in large serif type and his youthful visage on their posters and programmes.

On the other hand, Mayuzumi is two years older. He has changed his major twice and his greatest accomplishment is eating five bowls of instant ramen in a row without throwing up.

"I have something to ask of you," Akashi _-fucking_ -Seijuurou repeats. "Would you be my accompanist for my next solo performance?"

Either Mayuzumi is hallucinating, or his piano playing has launched him into a parallel universe where the impossible happens on a daily basis. He decides to just go with it. "Leaving aside the question of how you even found out I existed in the first place, why me? You probably know a dozen concert pianists; I don't even play piano anymore."

Akashi raises a perfect eyebrow. "I saw you accompany Hayama Kotarou at the recital last night. You played well."

A quicksilver shiver runs down Mayuzumi's spine. Akashi had been watching him? Serves him right for trying to do something decent for once with his life.

"It was a one-time favour for a friend. I'm not interested in gleaning from your crumbs of fame, go find someone else more skilled to be your pianist." Mayuzumi zips up his bag and stands. As far as he is concerned, this is the end of the conversation. He's looking forward to heading back to the land of sanity.

"Don’t downplay your talent. You went to Juilliard, didn't you?" says Akashi.

Mayuzumi stiffens. "I dropped out of Juilliard," he corrects. He does not look at Akashi; his voice is carefully monotone. "Now get out."

Akashi doesn't budge from the doorway. If he realises that it was a bad topic to bring up, he doesn't let on. "Accompany me this once, right now, then make your decision. A pre-practise run, if you will."

"Do you think your playing is so good that you can dazzle me into submission?" Mayuzumi stares down at Akashi. He faintly realises that he's insulting someone who draws in full house attendances across the globe, but he figures it's several minutes too late to salvage any lingering sense of goodwill. "None of your solos would be in my repertoire, anyway."

In response, Akashi holds out a sheaf of accompanist music.  _Vittorio Monti- Czardas_ , it says along the top. It's the piece Mayuzumi and Hayama performed less than twenty-four hours ago.

"You couldn't have had time to learn it in, what, half a day?" Despite himself, Mayuzumi knows his incredulity sounds weak.

Akashi smiles. "If you don't believe it, then why not play with me to prove that you're right?"

Akashi's taunting him. He knows it, and hates himself for falling for it, but sue him for being curious. "Fine," he snaps, snatching the music out of Akashi's hand. "But you better not get your hopes up for me to say yes or anything."

Akashi's only reply is to walk further into the room and set down his case. He unpacks his violin while Mayuzumi scans the sheet music again. He might not want to capitalise on Akashi's opinion of his playing but he doesn't exactly want to make a fool of himself either, especially if Akashi's going to play the entire thing from memory from the looks of things.

"Are you ready?" says Akashi, bow poised over the strings.

Mayuzumi lets the first broken chords of the introduction ring out in reply, at the proper tempo. The four bars should be plenty of time for Akashi to prepare if he's as good as he thinks he is.

 

{[music insert](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2cs0wZABw8)}

 

It deeply pains Mayuzumi to even think it, but Akashi is every bit as good as he claims. Of course Akashi plays it flawlessly, his intonation and timing faultless even to Mayuzumi's ear. His motions are so fluid they look effortless, as if he was born with the piece encoded in his fingertips.

Technical perfection aside, it'd taken two sessions for Mayuzumi and Hayama to synchronize properly. In contrast, him and Akashi haven't practised together at all, yet Akashi's cues are easier to read than picture books, and he matches Mayuzumi's speed perfectly through all the tempo changes even though Mayuzumi flubs a note or two. In short, it is—  Akashi is—  impossibly amazing. 

"So, your answer?" says Akashi, after the last notes die out.

Mayuzumi sighs. It's more like a breathless exhale, but he'll die before he ever admits that Akashi's playing almost made him forget how to breathe. "You had better pay me better than Hayama did," he warns, but even he can tell that for a poor attempt at feigning reluctance.

 

 

 

 

**mayuaka: musician AU**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wasn't planning to post this so soon but THAT NEW RAKUZAN OFFICIAL ART WITH MAYUZUMI & THE PAINTBRUSH & AKASHI HOLY HIT AKASHI STOP TRYING TO EYESEX MAYUZUMI
> 
> anyway, thanks for reading! If you'd like, please drop a comment or kudos c:


	3. you can't run but you can hide (mayuaka)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's just call this a magical girl/superhero AU… but if you're familiar with Miraculous Ladybug you'll definitely spot some very heavy influences from that.

 

Mayuzumi was in the middle of some maths homework when his ring flushed cold around his finger. Right on cue, a faint scream issued forth in the direction of the city centre. He placed his pen down and stood up with a sigh; the things his grades went through to keep the city safe. Too bad his teachers probably wouldn't accept "saving the city" as a valid excuse if he told them.

 

The worst thing about being a superhero-cum-magical boy, Mayuzumi decided as his transformation flashed around him, was the wedgies. So maybe he looked way more buff in the suit, but it didn't entirely make up for the fact that it was flawlessly contoured to every single one of his curves and cracks. Plus he always had this weird urge to pose dramatically during his transformation which was totally embarrassing, and, well. At least if he did, there was no-one around to witness it, which was the important thing.

His transformation completed itself with one final sparkle across his eyes, forming his mask, and he crossed the distance from his desk to his window in what would have been a confident stride had it not been only half a metre long.

Good thing his window faced the quietest area of school. It swung wide open with only a little force; he'd jimmied the safety stay open way back at the beginning of the year, after the first attack, when he was delayed a full three minutes trying to find the dorm's stupid fire exit. 

Mayuzumi peered down and waved his hand, painting a glistening silver streak- Slick, one of the few perks of the transformation- down the wall beneath him. In one well-rehearsed motion, he jumped through the window and onto the Slick. Down the wall he slid, faster than most eyes could perceive. Mayuzumi- now known more widely as Umbra- sped into the dusk, leaving behind only a faint glitter as the Slick behind him faded away.

 

 

Riding Slick made it pretty hard for Mayuzumi to keep track of distances, but he found the monster easily. Partially because of the dust cloud it tossed up, partially because of the screaming. As he approached it from a side-street, he boosted Slick one last time and slammed into the side of the monster using all his momentum, feet first. It skidded a considerable distance down an alley and quickly recovered, but before it could snap at him he'd already leaped back, crouching in a small alcove and weaving the shadows around his hiding place with a twist of his fingers.

He scanned the street again. Most of the civilians had already fled the area when he'd first arrived, but in one of the side streets was a straggling mother, herding her terrified children along. Mayuzumi stood up and narrowed his eyes at the monster as it tasted the air, stalking slowly towards the trio. _Slick needs time to recover, and I have no ranged weapons either._ He took out his baton, mentally calculating the trajectory.

His arm had reached the apex of his swing when a red blur scythed through the tail of the monster and skidded to a stop straight in front of Mayuzumi. Turning away from the fleeing family, the monster howled.

Mayuzumi scowled, lowering his arm. "You're late, Crimson Fox." His partner was kitted out similarly to him but in red instead of black, with a long sheath at his waist. He had additional tufty fox ears and a bushy tail- Mayuzumi still wasn't sure whether or not Crimson Fox already had those, or if they were granted to him by the transformation.

Crimson Fox lowered his sword and smiled up at him. It- the weapon- was a wickedly sharp thing with a gentle curve, and Mayuzumi was endlessly envious of it. "But I'm here now, Umbra-senpai."

"Don't call me senpai, it's weird," said Mayuzumi, for the five hundredth time. He tweaked one of the fox ears nestled in Crimson Fox's red hair.

"Stay focused," chastised Crimson Fox, though his head tried to follow Mayuzumi's hand when he drew it away. "Let's take this monster down."

Mayuzumi rolled his eyes, drawing the shadows more tightly around himself. "Sure, sure. I'll go distract it." He darted out of the alcove, abruptly releasing the shadows as he ran past the monster's front paws.

It was taken by surprise at his sudden appearance seemingly out of nowhere, but not for long. It flung a paw out, its speed belying its huge bulk. Mayuzumi managed to block its swipe at him with his baton, now extended into staff form, but it still threw him off balance and sent him skidding halfway up a wall on hastily applied Slick. It pounced after him, claws extended and waiting for him to fall.

Mayuzumi winced in awful anticipation as gravity won over, sliding down the wall again, but drew the shadows around him once more, praying that Crimson Fox wouldn't choose this time to screw up.

Of course Crimson Fox was ready and waiting, eyes blazing gold. Distracted by Umbra's disappearance, the monster barely had time to let out a yelp of surprise before a single stroke separated its head from its shoulders. Backing up, Crimson Fox waited, still poised for action, but there was no need. The body of the monster dissipated into the atmosphere, leaving behind the unconscious form of a salaryman prone on the ground.

Crimson Fox blinked and the golden glow receded. "You don't need to worry, I don't use up my Future Sight until after I've met up with you," reassured Fox, like he knew what Mayuzumi had been thinking. He crouched next to the salaryman, bushy fox tail tucked neatly around his feet.

Mayuzumi scoffed, though Fox was too busy checking the man's vitals to see it. "I wasn't worrying at all," he said, ignoring the smile that Crimson Fox was really not trying at all to hide.

A sensation like cold water trickled down his back. "I've got to go, my transformation will be wearing off soon."

Crimson Fox stood up and approached Mayuzumi. "Let me come with you," he said, with a smile that might have been beguiling had it been on anyone else apart from his partner.

"We've gone over this before, I don't want you finding out who I am in real life." Mayuzumi pressed a finger to Fox's forehead and pushed gently. "See you next time, alright?"

Crimson Fox looked disappointed, but stepped back. "Alright. It was a pleasure fighting with you again, Umbra-senpai."

"Yeah, sure." Mayuzumi wrapped himself in shadows again and ran down the alley in the direction of his dorm, skidding past people on Slick. He wouldn't want Crimson Fox accidentally seeing him untransformed. It was bad enough dealing with him during their escapades as it was; he couldn't imagine what it would be like interacting with him out of costume as well.

Plus, if Crimson Fox and Akashi ever met… Mayuzumi shuddered to think of the consequences.

His transformation faded a block or two from school. This wouldn't have been so bad, had it not been- Mayuzumi checked his watch as he ducked out of an alcove- negative five minutes until basketball practice started. _Not again!_   Mayuzumi swore, ignoring the scandalised looks of a nearby father, and flat-out _sprinted_.

 

* * *

 

 

The changing room seemed empty when Mayuzumi entered, out of breath and bright red, and he began tearing off his uniform with hasty abandon. 

A locker slammed shut. "Good morning, Chihiro," said Akashi, appearing around the corner in his training gear.

Mayuzumi froze in the middle of pulling off his trousers. "Okay," he said. "Good. Great."

"Why are you late?" asked his captain, crossing his arms.

Mayuzumi repressed a twitch. Something about Akashi's gaze made him feel vulnerable, though that might have been because he was both shirtless and pants-less. And was it just him or did Akashi look short of breath as well?

"I had a bathroom emergency."

"You seem to have them quite often," said Akashi. He didn't explicitly say "I know you're pulling my leg, so stop it before I make you", but Mayuzumi had grown quite practised at inferring the meanings behind Akashi's portfolio of cold looks.

Mayuzumi had never told anyone his other identity, and he wasn't about to start with his despot captain. He glared over his shoulder as he frantically rummaged for his shorts. "Fine, I overslept," he said. "I was having an unsettling nightmare about a teenage boy watching me as I changed-- oh, wait."

That jab didn't ruffle Akashi; Mayuzumi doubted he'd ever get to see Akashi's composure crumble while he was alive. "Excuses aside, your tardiness might cost you your place on the regulars," Akashi said. His gaze swept over Mayuzumi in a way which made him flush, first with warmth and then deep, dark shame.

"I hope to see you in practise on time from now on," said Akashi before Mayuzumi could salvage his dignity with a retort, and closed the door behind him.

Training was particularly brutal that day. Mayuzumi suffered through drill after drill after drill, tired to the bone and wishing for death (or at least the increased endurance of his Umbra transformation).

Too tired, even, to recall that Akashi had almost been as late as him.

 

 

 

 

 

**mayuaka: magical girl/superhero AU**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   * totally late for mayuaka day but better late than never amirite
>   * hope you enjoyed this fever dream of a oneshot! as always, comments/kudos are welcomed with open arms.
> 



	4. and the little one said "roll over" (nijimayu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rakuzan!Nijimura AU \o/ crack? maybe. unedited? definitely.
> 
> would you believe i wrote this entire DANG thing before realising Mayuzumi's a year older than Nijimura? anyway so the headcanon here is that nijimura skipped a year when he came back from the US, i bought my creative license from a shady back-alley dealer.

 

 

Nijimura should've known that everything was going to go to shit when Akashi pulled him aside after practise, the last before some out-of-town tournament.

"Nijimura-senpai," Akashi had said as Nijimura stopped next to him. "I've been noticing a few things lately, and I was wondering…" He paused delicately, watching the last players file noisily into the changing room. First red alert: Akashi applying tact. "Do you fancy Chihiro?"

"What? No, I-- What gave you that idea?" Nijimura crossed his arms and shuffled back a step, almost tripping over a stray basketball.

Akashi had the temerity to pat him on the shoulder. If it were from anyone else less…Akashi-like, it would've been mocking. "I see. I'm sure an opportunity will present itself soon." With that cryptic reassurance, Akashi picks up his water bottle and leaves him standing gobsmacked in the middle of the gym.

That phrase alone should've started ringing loud alarm bells in his head. Akashi was not one to offer empty reassurances, but in between rushing to change and hurrying to class it slipped his mind.

Nijimura was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that his disastrously capable junior was poking his nose into his love life when he arrived at the classroom, and thus he almost walked straight into Mayuzumi at his desk.

"So?" said Mayuzumi, lounging astride his chair. "You're still in one piece, huh."

"Uh, what?" said Nijimura intelligently. _Akashi knows you like Mayuzumi. Akashi knows you like Mayuzumi_ , his brain screamed over and over again. Helpful.

"When Akashi pulls someone aside after practise it usually signals their demise and that of everything they love," Mayuzumi explained. "But I guess you're the exception."

Nijimura briefly and vividly recalled twenty minutes ago. "I'd rather be dead," he said all-too-truthfully. Then he kicked the leg of the chair. "Now get out of my seat or I'll sic Akashi on you."

"He doesn't like you that much," said Mayuzumi skeptically, but the threat was good enough to make him leave, slinking back to his seat like an offended cat.

 

* * *

 

 

So Nijimura has this moment in mind when they arrive at the hotel for the tournament, and the first rooming arrangement out of Akashi's mouth is "Nijimura Shuuzou and Mayuzumi Chihiro, room 302".

Okay, so it makes sense, with them being the only third year regulars. But. How awfully convenient. _What the fuck, you better watch your back_ , he thinks at Akashi, whom he's pretty sure can read minds. Akashi pretends like he can't and sends them off with a wave of his hand.

Nijimura grits his teeth as they walk up the stairs. He'd show Akashi a wave of his hand, alright.

He doesn't realise how tense he is until Mayuzumi snaps his fingers in front of his face. "What's with the temper? Is this about rooming with me?"

Sort of. "No, just, Akashi."

Mayuzumi nods like his answer constitutes a proper explanation. Which it pretty much does, even if Mayuzumi doesn't know exactly why, thank goodness.

Nijimura shifts the weight of his bag on his shoulder. _It'll be fine_ , he tells himself as they trudge down the plush corridor. He's used to sharing space with Mayuzumi. They're good friends. It'll be completely normal and platonic and bromantic. Just two guys being pals, sharing a suite, and a bathroom, and a bedroom.

He chances a glance at Mayuzumi, wonderfully oblivious to Nijimura's internal conflict. "Ah, here," says Mayuzumi, flicking his key card past the scanner and pushing the door open.

Mayuzumi shoulders past him when he pauses on the threshold to take the tiny living room area in. It's a nice room, and it should be, with the funds that Rakuzan pumps into basketball. Really he's okay with anything, as long as the shower has decent water pressure--

"What the fuck?" Mayuzumi yells from the bedroom part of the suite.

Nijimura hurries over. "What?" he demands, but as soon as he looks through the door he knows what. There is only one bed, large and sprawling in the centre of the room. Its matching and freshly plumped pillows mock his disbelieving gaze.

The closet doors are flung wide open. Mayuzumi sticks his head around one of them. "They must have screwed up, there's not even a spare futon in here."

It's too much of a coincidence to be a mistake.

"I guess I'll go talk to the staff," says Mayuzumi.

"I'm going to talk to Akashi," says Nijimura grimly.

Mayuzumi looks like he's about to ask why, but they both know better by now and he shuts his mouth.

Halfway down the flight of stairs, Nijimura realises he has no idea where Akashi's room is. By chance he comes across Mibuchi, who takes one look at the thunderous expression on his mien and says, "Akashi's in 405, if you're wondering."

Nijimura takes out his frustration by knocking on the door as loudly as possible. "I'm really, really going to kill you," he announces as soon as he can hear unlocking noises. He plants a hand against the wood and shoves it open, about to deliver a diatribe.

The only other first-year first-stringer cowers at him in return. "Ni-Nijim-"

"Uh, not you," Nijimura amends, anger somewhat abated. "Is Akashi in?"

"He's out visiting family," says the first year tremulously. "He won't be back until late tonight."

Nijimura tsks and pulls up Akashi's number on his phone as he paces away. What mysteriously convenient timing. He already knows it won't get picked up, but he calls anyway.

 

 

Mayuzumi's arrival interrupts Nijimura's third angry voicemail to Akashi. "They're all out of spare bedding," he reports. "So unless Akashi convinces them to buy some just for us, we're shit out of luck."

Nijimura tosses his phone onto the bed. "Akashi's disappeared."

"Well, shit."

"I'll sleep on the sofa," offers Nijimura. It's nothing he hasn't done before, though his back isn't going to be pleased during warm-ups tomorrow.

"Don't be stupid," says Mayuzumi. "It's big enough for the both of us. Bags the left side."

Nijimura sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. This day has lasted long enough. "Fine," he says and strips off his t-shirt, sitting heavily onto the bed. He rubs at his face with the heels of his hands. Sleep is a welcoming prospect; sleep is when he doesn't have to pretend he's not low-key pining after his teammate.

"Well. Glad that's settled, then," says Mayuzumi. He sounds a little faint and somewhat distracted.

Nijimura turns to look questioningly in Mayuzumi's direction, but Mayuzumi is rummaging intently in his bag. "I'm going to, um, have a shower."

"Suit yourself. Just don't hog it tomorrow morning." Nijimura fiddles with his belt buckle as Mayuzumi all but runs from the room. Strange.

By the time Mayuzumi comes back from his shower, Nijimura has already dimmed the lights and tucked himself into the sheets.

"Going to bed already?" asks Mayuzumi. Nijimura feels the bed dip slightly and he rolls over in the other direction, refusing to smell Mayuzumi's body wash, the scent lingering on his skin.

"We have to get up early tomorrow," he says into the pillow. "You can stay up, I don't care."

Mayuzumi huffs and tugs at the sheets. "Sure, old man."

Nijimura hears the chirping of Mayuzumi's phone before he silences it, and falls asleep under dim lights to Mayuzumi's quiet breathing.

 

* * *

 

 

Nijimura's phone alarm buzzes him into wakefulness.

The first thing he notices is that he is unusually warm. And then he notices several things, all at once. Mayuzumi is curled up facing him. Somehow through the night, one of Mayuzumi's legs has ended up in between Nijimura's. Mayuzumi's breath is faintly tickling his collarbone.

Some strands of hair have fallen across Mayuzumi's face. He looks tired, younger, more open. Unable to resist, Nijimura reaches forward to brush them off Mayuzumi's face.

His hand is hovering over Mayuzumi's cheek when he spots movement- the shadow of a twitch crossing Mayuzumi's eyelids.

Nijimura panics. The last thing he wants is to spend an entire tournament being awkward with Mayuzumi. So instead, he curbs his stupid, stupid impulse and--

"Wake up, sleepyhead," he says, forcing the words out of a sleep-hoarse throat, and slaps Mayuzumi.

 

Mayuzumi spends the entire morning bitching about it, and then some.

With any luck, this debacle would discourage Akashi from trying to set them up again. Then again, Nijimura has never had particularly good luck. He sneaks a look at Akashi as he passes water to Mayuzumi, who snatches it from his hands with a haughty sniff.  Unfortunately, Akashi looks thoughtful when he inevitably catches Nijimura's glare, and only smiles cryptically when Mayuzumi unloads yet another pointed comment in Nijimura's direction. Perhaps he'd better find somewhere else to sleep tonight.

  
 

 

 

 

 

 

**nijimayu: "I guess we'll have to share the bed"**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /sits up  
> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
> /lies down again


End file.
